Castle: Chasing Ghost
by devildog3479
Summary: A murder case of a documentary film maker trying to uncover the reasons of a suspicious death is further complicated by a couple reporters both in New York and Qatar who are looking into the teams role in the take down of the ISIS cell. As the case progresses, a suprising connection to one of the team members is brought to light.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is a continuation of the my Castle AU. Please enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Castle series or the characters. This story is based solely on the entertainment of the readers.**

 **Castle: Chasing Ghost**

 **Prologue**

 **Upper East Side**

 **Manhattan, New York**

The young women out walking her dog before she had to leave for class at Columbia was shivering in the early morning chill. The early fall cold front had dropped the temperature in the city at night to just above freezing. She was wishing now, that she had put on her sweat pants instead of her yoga pants, and secretly wishing for her dog to finish up doing its business so they could go back inside. She heard her phone ring with a text message, and reached into her jacket to get it unaware she accidently dropped the leash. As she smiled at the text message from her boyfriend, she noticed the leash wasn't in her hand. She saw her dog turn down an alley, and raced to catch up to it.

"Shirley, what are you doing?" The young woman asked as she finally caught up to her dog and picked the small dog up. As she pulled her hand away, she noticed a red substance on her hand and looked down and saw the body lying there. She screamed nearly dropping the dog.

 **Kate and Rick's Loft**

 **Soho, New York**

Richard Castle sat at the kitchen island, drinking coffee and eating a Jimmy Dean's breakfast bowl that hopefully his wife wouldn't smell it on him before she came out of the bedroom for her tea and morning breakfast consisting of fruit and a granola cereal. That all she could keep down most mornings. Alexis came downstairs and to the fridge grabbing the orange juice pouring herself a glass. After setting the orange juice back in the fridge, she saw what her father was eating.

"Oh dad, no, tell me you're not sneaking that around Kate." Alexis stated as she leaned over the counter and saw the breakfast bowl. "I know it's tough, but come on, she'll smell it on you."

"Sorry, but I need a little bit of a kick start in the morning some days, and not the fruit and granola kick." Rick answered his daughter with a smile as he passed over a fork full to her which she gladly accepted. "You're not complaining."

Before Alexis could answer, Kate's voice came from the bedroom that stopped Castle's heart. "Castle are you eating eggs and bacon out there?"

"What if I said no?" Castle replied back as he and Alexis quickly downed the rest of the breakfast bowl.

"You are because I can smell it." Kate told them coming out of the bedroom and towards the island dressed in her work outfit for the day. Though she could still fit into most of her clothes, she realized that soon she would have to find maternity clothes for work. Kate arrived at the island and set the K-cup tea in the machine. She looked at Castle and Alexis. "Please, Jimmy Dean Breakfast bowl, eggs and bacon."

"How did…." Castle started to say but his phone went off saving him from his pregnant wife stare. "Russell, do we have a body?"

Kate smiled as she picked up the box and held it to Castle who smiled slyly as he got to his feet. He ended the call. "Thought I threw that out."

"Where's the body?" Kate asked as she sipped at her tea as Alexis poured herself a bowl of cereal.

"East 73rd and York Ave." Castle answered getting up from the island and moving towards the bedroom. He heard Kate following behind him. "Thought you had a meeting with the community leaders."

"I do, but not till nine." Kate said as she stood by the door watching Castle getting dressed. She smiled as Castle quickly button up his shirt. "Besides all I really get now is what you guys brief to me. Just want to come by and look in once again."

"Well its your detectives, your team, your precinct." Castle remarked coming over and giving her a quick kiss. "You can do anything you want basically."

"Not quite." Kate replied with a smile on her face. She grabbed Rick's hands and gave them a squeeze. "Besides, it's been a quiet week, so paperwork is really light."

Rick smiled as he shook his head. "There it is. Captain Beckett is bored at the office."

"Go, you're going to be late." Kate stated with a laugh as Rick started towards the door with her following close behind. "Have a good day Alexis."

"You too." Alexis replied with a smile on her face.

 **East 73** **rd** **and York Avenue**

 **Manhattan, New York**

Castle and Beckett walked towards the crime scene enjoying the day that was slowly warming. They saw the news vans and associated vehicles that generally come with a response to a crime scene.

"Captain Beckett?" A reporter shouted near the scene tape. She started running towards them.

"We don't know anything yet, and will release a statement as soon as we do." Kate told the reporter as they neared the tape.

The reporter pulled out her "Well what about a unnamed source that says your team contacted an international terrorism task force to help bring down that ISIS cell a couple weeks ago?"

That comment nearly stopped Castle and Beckett in their tracks but they slowed their walk a bit. Kate thought of her wording correctly. "If they did so, it was during the course of the investigation, and entirely in the purview."

The reporter walked stride for stride with the pair. "Not according to my source. They stated due to the commissioner, the deputy commissioner and ESU commander withheld case files. It took a former detective of yours and ESU officer to identify an officer that was killed that was trying to stop the cell."

Kate stopped outside the tape. "Again I reiterate, that if my detectives contacted this task force, it was with in their scope of the investigation."

Castle and Beckett ducked under the tape and towards the crime scene. Castle looked back towards the reporter who was still outside the tape. "How did she find out?"

"Don't know, we left the task force out of the official report." Kate stated as they walked up to where the body was located. "That was also requested by 1PP to keep the task force out of the reports."

"You talking about that reporter?" Ryan asked getting nods from Castle and Beckett. He shook his head as well. "She accosted me to as I walked up, asking about Javi's task force and did we talk to them about the ISIS case."

"Same here." Lanie stated as she stood up from examining the body.

Russell walked over from talking to a couple of uniforms. "Triple. Right after Ryan, but I didn't say anything."

"Wonder who the unnamed source is?" Castle said out loud.

"Could be anyone at 1PP. You didn't make that many friends up there Captain." Ryan said as they stood near the body.

"Well let's not focus on the reporter, and focus on our victim." Kate told them with everyone nodding. She looked at Lanie. "What did you find out?"

"30 year white male, shot 3 times in the chest with what looks like a 45." Lanie stated as she pointed at the body. She looked at team. "I'll know more when I get him back on my table, but one looks like impacted the heart. Liver temp put the time of death between midnight and four am."

"That size round would turn the heart to hamburger." Castle remarked getting a lot of nods.

"Any identification?" Kate asked as she gingerly knelt down near the body. Her pregnancy was making it harder to do that.

"Canvas hasn't turned up anything yet." Russell remarked as she looked at the scene. She looked at the way body was positioned. "Dr. Parrish, did anyone move the body?"

"Nope. He is the way we found him." Lanie answered.

"The way he laying, it looks like he was he was shot from down the alley." Russell stated. She started down the alley. She looked around the area. She bent down near a dumpster. "I got a camera here."

"Might not even be our victims." Kate remarked as she was helped up by Castle and Lanie. "Thanks."

"Who found the body?" Castle asked.

"Girl over there walking her dog." Ryan mentioned with his head towards the pale women holding her small dog outside the taped off area. "She tossed her kale smoothie over there by the dumpster after she called 911."

"Talk about contaminating a crime scene." Castle quipped that got Lanie laughing. He saw Kate's look on her face. "Kate why don't you head to your meeting before you lose what you have in your stomach."

"Good idea." Kate answered who started towards the tape. She looked at Russell. "Keep me updated."

"Yes ma'am." Russell replied with a smile on her face as she came back towards the body. She looked at Castle. "Ryan let's make sure we bag the camera."

"Got it." Ryan answered as he motioned over a couple of uniforms.

"So the question is, who is our victim, and what was he doing here?" Russell asked as the coroner team picked up the dead body and placed him on the gurney.

"The other question is, if the camera is his, what was he filming." Castle asked.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Busy weekend folks. I thank everyone for their reviews and follows. Please keep them coming and enjoy the story.**

 **Chapter 1**

 **US Central Command**

 **Doha, Qatar**

Javier Esposito sat down in the base dining facility with his meal of chicken, rice, vegetables, water and juice that he got from the serving line. He was looking about for Commander O'Donnell to join him. He didn't noticed the person in civilian clothes sit down across from him.

"Detective Esposito." The man stated with his tray in front of him. Esposito turned and stared at the man who was dressed in Khaki vest, t-shirt, and khaki pants, and boots. "Mitchell Potter. With the New York Times."

"Any inquires has to go through the media affairs officer of the task force." Esposito told him as he started to eat his dinner.

"It's kind of not about the task force." Mitchell stated as he took a bite of his chicken as well noting the dryness of it. "I got sources that say your old detective unit back in New York contacted you about that ISIS cell that was taken out. They need some background run."

Esposito looked at the reporter over his dinner. "If they did so, it would have within their purview if they are looking at a potential terrorist attack."

Mitchell Potter ate some more of the chicken. "Well my source and my partners source also told us that certain top ranking NYPD officials withheld crucial information from your former team until you were able to identified the fallen officer who had infiltrated the cell."

"Again if that happen, it was entirely within the purview of their investigation." Esposito told the reporter this time with a little bit of distain in his voice. He then looked the reporter in the eyes. "Why are you looking into this?"

"Just trying to uncover the truth detective, like you that's all." Mitchell Potter stated as he poked at his chicken some more. "We feel that a pending terrorist attack warranted all resources…."

"Potter, stop trying to stir up trouble. You been after the department for the past two years. Go bother someone else." Commander O'Donnell stated coming over to the table with his dinner tray. Mitchell Potter got up and left the table as Commander O'Donnell sat down. "Was he asking about your team and the terror cell?"

"Yeah, I tried to divert the question." Esposito said poking at his food again. He suddenly lost his appetite to eat. He looked at Commander O'Donnell. "Did he ask you questions?"

"Sure did and like you tried to divert them." Commander O'Donnell remarked as he dug into his dinner. He took a bite, chewed and shallowed it before looking at Esposito again. "Don't worry about it. Potter and his partner have been after the department for a couple years basically for anything."

Esposito looked at the commander before deciding he would still contact his old team to let them know about the reporter.

 **12** **th** **Precinct**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"Our victims name is Brandon Schroder." Ryan stated as he posted the blown up driver's license photo of the victim on the murder board. He pulled out his note pad and looked at the notes he made. "He's a documentary film maker."

"That is why he shouldn't be in the system." Russell stated as she stared at the board as Ryan was flipping through his notes.

"No but the drunk and disorderly he got in college is the reason why." Ryan responded to the statement as he put the notebook away. "Wife is on the way in to talk to us."

"What was he working currently Ryan?" Castle asked from sitting down on the edge of the other desk.

"Don't know. Hopefully his wife will be able to shed some light on that." Ryan replied to the question. He pinned a sheet with information on the victim on it. "Works include mainly small documentaries for schools or organizations. Only one big credit on a big documentary and that was when he included some film that he shot of the new construction around ground zero."

"Alright so nothing really too out of the ordinary in his past then." Russell remarked as she heard Ryan's video conference ring go off on his computer. "Ryan what was on the camera?"

"Lab is processing it, so we should have it soon." Ryan stated as he arrived at his computer. He clicked on the camera image. "Hey Esposito. What's up?"

Esposito had arrived at the communication center shortly after dinner to call his team in New York. "Hey Ryan. I got asked about the information on those ISIS members that I passed on to you by a reporter?"

Russell and Castle hearing Esposito's voice came over and stepped into the camera view. Russell leaned forward a bit. "You're getting asked questions by a reporter over there about the cell?"

"I take it you have a reporter there asking you questions?" Esposito asked getting nods from everyone in the screen. He shook his head as well. He then turned back to his screen. "What did your reporter ask you?"

"Did we ask for your or the task forces help? Did 1PP withhold critical information?" Castle stated as looked at the screen. He shook his head too. "This reporter didn't want to seem to take Kate's answer as the word."

"Really?" Esposito asked getting a nod from Castle. He then took a deep breath and looked at the screen for a moment. "I'll keep my ear open and let you know if I hear of something else."

"Thanks Esposito." Russell stated as Esposito nodded and wished everyone a good bye. Russell moved to her desk as her phone began to ring. She picked it up and listen for a few moments. "Castle, Dr. Parrish is ready for us."

"Right." Castle answered moving towards the elevator to go with Russell to see Lanie and hopefully get some answers.

Outside the precinct, Kate was walking towards the main doors to head back up to her office after her meeting. Her attention was distracted by a familiar voice from earlier that morning. "Captain Beckett?"

"I told you before, if my team contacted the international terrorism task force, it was within your scope to do so." Kate replied as she put her hands on the doors leading into the precinct.

"How about you being ordered to withhold critical information from your team to stop crucial information from getting released to the public?"

"Never happened." Kate lied as she let go of the door and turned to face this reporter. She placed her hands on her hips and gave a look to the blonde 5'4" reporter near her. "Why is this so important to you?"

"Public deserves to know the truth. Pretty much your mantra since you became an officer." The reporter replied with a smile on her face. She leaned against the building. "Come on captain, I won't even mention your name."

"Have a nice day." Kate told her walking into the lobby of the precinct as Russell and Castle were coming off the elevator. She stopped them as they were walking towards the front door. "Go out through the side door."

"Our reporter friend?" Castle asked his wife getting a nod from her. He shook his head. "She is relentless."

"Well there must be a team." Russell remarked. She then told Kate what Esposito told them just a couple minutes ago. "Esposito told us that he let us know if he hears anything else."

"Right, and I have to let 1PP know." Kate told them. She gave Castle a quick kiss on the cheek and a squeeze of the hands before heading towards the elevator.

Russell and Castle walked into the precinct parking lot and out onto the main street and into her car, noticing the reporter getting into a cab as they climbed into Russell's car.

"What do you think this is about Castle?" Russell asked as they pulled away from the precinct.

"Don't know, but it could be deeper than the ISIS cell." Castle replied as they continued to drive towards the medical examiner's office.

 **Office of the Chief Medical Examiner**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"It was pretty much what I told you at the crime scene." Lanie remarked as she showed Russell and Castle into the room. "Cause of death of three gunshots wounds to the chest. Fatal one was to the heart."

"Any other thing unusual Dr. Parrish?" Russell asked as she made notes in her notebook.

"Except for some cirrhosis of the liver I expect came from partying hard in his younger days, our boy was pretty healthy." Lanie stated as she set the clipboard down on to her desk. She then came back over to the body. "No track marks, or other signs of drug use."

Castle looked over at Lanie after looking at the body. "Defensive wounds Lanie?"

Lanie shook her head. "Nope. Using the angle and the depth of the wound, he was shot at least from 15-25 feet away from him."

"We didn't find any shell casings at the scene. How about the bullets Dr. Parrish?" Russell asked Lanie as like Castle looked at the body before turning her attention back to Lanie.

"Recovered and sent to the lab." Lanie remarked to the pair. She then shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry you two, unless the lab comes back with something, our boy here does not have any more to tell us."

"Thanks Lanie." Castle stated along with Russell walking out the autopsy room. As they arrived back upstairs, they saw a familiar face waiting for them. "Didn't my wife already tell you if was within the scope of our investigation to contact a task force if we did that?"

"Well Mr. Castle, something tells me that the reason they didn't want you guys to know the identity of the officer is because they didn't trust you." The reporter stated getting to her feet and walking towards them. "I didn't follow you. I was here to see if Dr. Parrish could give me something."

"And she won't have the opportunity too." Russell mentioned as she motioned over a security guard over. She looked at the security guard. "Don't let her out of your sight until she actually leaves."

"Yes ma'am." The security guard stated.

Castle smirked at the disappointed look on the reporters face. "Have a nice day."

 **12** **th** **Precinct**

 **Manhattan, New York**

Ryan escorted the widow of Bryan Schroder to the conference room where once they were inside he shut the door. "Thank you for coming in Ms. Schroder. We are very sorry for your loss."

"I still can't believe it." Ms. Abigail Schroder replied with tears on her face. She nodded her thanks to Ryan who handed her a tissue. "Are you sure it's him?"

"It is, but we would still like to you to confirm." Ryan told her as he shifted in his seat. He pulled out his notebook and opened it. "Did your husband have any reason to be in the area we found him before midnight and four am?"

"He was working on a project that he was doing himself." Ms. Schroder stated as the tears dried up for a couple minutes. She leaned forward a little bit. "He generally didn't tell me about some of the projects he was doing, but he was really excited about this one."

"Why is that?" Ryan asked making notes in his notebook.

"It has something to do with a death of a girl from that neighborhood that has not had a ruling on it for the past ten years." Ms. Schroder told Ryan as she went into her purse and pulled out her phone. She found a picture on her phone and passed it to Ryan. "Brandon told me the girl's name was a Jessica Simmons."

Ryan took the phone and shook his head at the image of a small girl on the screen. He then passed the phone back and made notes of this "Why was this important to him?"

Ms. Schroder put her phone away in her purse before continuing. "Because the girl died under suspicious circumstances, but the death wasn't ruled a homicide, or an accidental death."

"Did your husband tell you the name of the person who investigated this?" Ryan asked her as he leaned forward in his seat.

Ms. Schroder shook her head. "Not the detective, but the officer who found the little girl was contacted."

Ryan leaned a little more forward in his chair. "Who was the officer?"

"Officer Jeffery Karpowski." Ms. Schroder told Ryan who managed not to drop his pen.


	3. Chapter 2

**a/n: Sorry for the delay folks. Busy with work folks and family commitments. Hope you enjoy this update.**

 **Chapter 2**

 **12** **th** **Precinct**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"Are you sure Ryan?" Castle asked inside the bullpen. Ryan had briefed Castle, Russell and Kate on what the victim's wife told him during the interview.

"I checked for crimes in that area, and Karpowski did find a young girl, 12, name Ashley Harrison was found dead in the alley." Ryan replied coming over and handing the case brief over to Kate. "ME at the time didn't rule out homicide, accidental death or suicide. So it's listed as a suspicious death."

"Says here Ashley Harrison was found with a blunt force trauma to the skull." Kate said as she read off the briefing sheet for the case. She then looked at Ryan. "Karpowski found the girl by the dumpster. Where's the case file?"

"Central files is sending it over." Russell told her as she looked at the board. She then looked at Ryan. "Anything else the wife told you?"

Ryan shook his head. "Nope pretty much said Brandon kept projects to himself, and only that he was really excited about this one."

"When the case arrives start looking into to find out why it got the attention of our victim." Kate told her team as she checked her watch. She then looked at Russell. "Call Karpowski and have him come over to get his aspect on it."

"Right." Russell answered as she picked up her phone.

"I have an appointment with the commissioner, Chief Miller and Captain Meyers about this reporter." Kate stated as she groaned getting up from the seat. She rubbed her back as it had been bugging her for a little bit.

Castle moved closer to his wife. "More than likely they will blame you for it."

"Have to agree with Castle, captain. They'll probably end up blaming you." Ryan said in agreement as he moved back to his desk.

"Maybe, but they did ask for the meeting, so I have to go." Beckett told them as she started towards her office. She walked back out a moment later with her phone and keys in one hand and bottle water in other. She looked at the team. "Call me if you find anything out."

Everyone nodded as Kate moved to the elevator after giving Castle a quick kiss on the cheek. Castle moved back to the murder board and studied the victim's photo and some of the crime scene photos that Ryan had put on the board. He noticed Russell coming up next to him. "What are you thinking?"

"What drew our victim to this alley and at that time of the night too?" Castle stated as he looked at the photos more.

"That was the scene where the girl was found, maybe he just went back to film it." Russell stated as she turned away from the murder board.

"But at midnight, why go down there and film when you can easily film the alley in the daylight." Castle asked turning around the board and started back towards his seat.

Russell thought about that for a moment, then looked up at Castle. "Good point. Ryan did the wife tell you anything else about her husband's activities?"

"No, and I check if he was employed by a studio or network. He was a independent film maker." Ryan replied coming over. "According to the sheet that I got from the filmmaker registry here in the city, he pretty much picked up projects, or got shots for films through the project board on the film maker's website. Yet he hadn't picked up any projects from there in about a month."

"So that must be when he started this project." Castle stated getting a nod from both Ryan and Russell. He then looked over at Ryan. "Where does he do his editing?"

"That is a good question. He needs a place to work to finish his projects." Russell agreed with Castle as she looked back at him. She then turned back Ryan. "Ryan what about editing for his projects?"

"He mainly uses NYU's filming rooms, but there are some places in the city that he can use." Ryan stated. He picked up the phone and started dialing. "I'll contact the ones that the registry gave me."

"Okay, and we'll go talk to the wife again and see if the husband had anything stored for this project somewhere." Russell remarked as she got up grabbing the keys for car. She saw Castle walking towards the board one more time. "What is it Castle?"

Castle tapped the board. "We should have Lanie also look at the autopsy report again. Maybe she can see if she can something the other coroner didn't."

"Good idea." Russell remarked as she walked towards the elevator close behind. Her phone went off with a text message. She looked at it and smiled. She saw Castle notice the smile. "Marie, she got a promotion at work."

"Oh good for her." Castle answered with a smile of his own. They walked on to the elevator. As the doors closed Castle turned to her. "So what was promotion for?"

"Director of marketing for the firm she works at." Russell answered as she sent a reply on the phone with the congratulations. She then pulled up Lanie's number on and placed the call. "Dr. Parrish, Russell, can you look up a autopsy report for us? Ashley Harrison, dod was 10 years ago."

She heard the reply and hung up the phone after thanking Lanie. "She'll call us when she knows more.

Castle nodded as they walked off the elevator.

 **One Police Plaza**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"Captain Beckett, thank you for coming in today." Commissioner Barnes said as Kate walked into the office. Chief Miller and Captain Meyers were also there. Kate stopped saluted which was returned and walked over to shake the commissioner's hand. "Please sit."

"Sir, I have a reporter nosing around my team, and another one asking Detective Esposito while he is with the taskforce." Kate stated as she shifted in the seat before continuing.

"Let me guess, about a 5'4 blonde reporter?" Captain Meyers asked getting a nod from Kate. He shook his head. "Sierra Potter, and her husband is the one asking the questions overseas."

"Captain be careful what you say around her." Chief Miller warned Kate. He shook his head for a moment. "They have been after the department for two years. Twisted words and reports to make us look bad. Wrote an op-ed asking how we let a cell get that close to those diplomats' children before we stopped it."

Kate thought back and then it hit her. "The narco busted a couple years ago where they blamed the deaths of a couple suspects on delayed treatment."

"Which was phony because they received priority to get to the hospital." Chief Miller told her with a shake of his head. He then looked down at Kate. "What are they asking?"

"About the files, contacting Esposito to run the names, stuff like that." Kate stated as she cited everything from memory. She then looked them in the eyes. "She say they have a source passing long the information to her."

"Well its not us." Commissioner Barnes told her as he looked at the others who said the same thing. He then turned to Chief Miller. "Let's check internally for the leak. Captain Beckett, do the same for your team."

"Yes sir." Kate replied. She looked around the room and felt their stares. "I will also check my precinct, but I don't think it's anybody on my team."

"Do that Captain, and get back to us." Commissioner Barnes told her to which she nodded. He checked the time. "I have a Crime Stats briefing. Thank you for coming in again Captain."

"Yes sir." Kate took the meaning. She got up saluted and walked out of the office.

 **Brandon and Abigail Schroder's House**

 **East Village New York**

"Ms. Schroder, thank you for seeing us." Russell said to the widow who walked them into their apartment in the East Village of the city. They made their way into the living room. "I know this is a difficult time for you."

"I don't know how much I can help you detective." Ms. Schroder said to them as she sat down on in a chair as Russell and Castle took the couch.

Castle looked at the widow with the sympathy that he used many times before and meant it. "We just need to ask a couple more questions, then we have a request."

Ms. Schroder nodded so Russell leaned forward a little bit. "Now did your husband have anything stored or written down anywhere here in the house that we can have? We may be able to trace his movements the night he died."

"The one thing I requested of my husband that he kept his work out of the house." Ms. Schroder told them with some tears on her face. Then something hit her all of a sudden. "But he did have a backpack filled with notebooks that had his ideas, locations, dates, interviews, that sort of thing."

"He didn't keep that stuff on an iPad?" Castle asked shocked to hear this.

Ms. Schroder shook her head. "Brandon says write it down because technology can always break. He should have had it with him when he was in that alley."

"We didn't find a back Ms. Schroder." Russell stated looking at her with confusion.

"He wouldn't have left without it or out of his sight." Ms. Schroder replied.

"In the car maybe?" Castle asked getting a shake of the widow's head. "No car."

"We'll have a canvass go back over the alley and neighborhood dumpsters." Russell told Castle before turning her attention back to the widow. "If you think of anything else please call."

Ms. Schroder accepted Russell's card with a sad smile. "I will and thank you."

 **12** **th** **Precinct**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"Mr. Castle, word has it your wife was at 1PP earlier?" Sierra Potter shouted to Castle as they walked towards the precinct entry door.

"She is captain of a precinct, so I am sure she had business up there." Castle told the reporter and quickly walked into the precinct where he found someone waiting in the lobby. "Karpowski you're early?"

"Usually am." Karpowski replied with a hand shake as Russell strolled in behind Castle. He shook Russell's hand as well. "I see that reporter has been bugging you too huh?"

"Yeah she has, bout the cell take down." Russell remarked as they walked towards the elevator. She noticed that Karpowski was carrying a med size folder in his other hand. "Is that the case file on Ashley Harrison?"

"Yeah. Courier dropped it off." Karpowski remarked slowly as they arrived on the floor of the bullpen and walked off the elevator into the bullpen. He saw the murder board. "That is Brandon Schroder?"

"Do you know him?" Castle asked the detective who set the folder down on the desk and walked over to the murder board.

Karpowski nodded as he arrived at the murder board. "Yeah, a couple of weeks ago he contacted me about doing an interview."

Russell stopped what she was doing by signing off on the case file and walked over to the murder board. She stopped by Karpowski. "Jeffery what did he want?"

"Basic interview I guess on the night of the incident." Karpowski told them as he pulled out his pone and started to scroll through it. He stopped a moment later. "Here is the email. Wanted to know how I exactly found the body, who did I see in the alley that night etc."

Castle turned and faced Karpowski as well. "So what do you think killed the young girl?"

"Don't know, but if there was a ghost, I think we would have found evidence of that." Karpowski told them. "But I always did have a suspect but could never prove it."

"Who is that Karpowski?" Russell asked her former partner who was walking towards the board a bit before he pulled out a picture and tact it to the board. "Who do you have as a suspect Karpowski?"

Karpowski breath. "The dad."

Castle and Beckett looked on in shock at that news.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: I apologize folks for not updating quickly as I should, but work and family issues kept me pretty busy. Please enjoy the chapter, and keep the reviews coming.**

 **Chapter 3**

 **12** **th** **Precinct**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"Ten years ago, after my partner and I discovered Ashley Harrison's body, we went to go make the notifications." Karpowski stated as he stood by the murder board. "Ashley's parents were divorced. Her mother had remarried, and went hysterical when we told her."

Ryan looked at the case notes. "Says here you ruled out the step-father?"

Karpowski nodded. "He was in London, on business. Flew home after getting the news."

"What about Ashley's biological father?" Castle asked as he looked in on the case folder as well.

"When we made the notification, he answered the door hammered, with blood splatter on his shirt." Karpowski told them as he took the photo of Ashley's father and put it on the board. "We took him but wat he swore he couldn't remember anything."

Russell looked at the file again as well. "Alcoholic?"

"Yep, detectives let him go, when the blood didn't match and he was seen at a bar." Karpowski mentioned as he moved away from the murder board. "No one remembers when though exactly and the bar he was at had no cameras."

Kate had been sitting through all this, taking all the information in. "What about the mother?"

Karpowski looked at the team. "Committed suicide few months after Ashley was killed, and the step-father moved away. Her father still lives in the city, from what I heard he is sober and working at a shipping company."

Castle sat on the desk next to Kate who was standing now stretching her back. "So according to this nothing new has turned up in years."

Karpowski nodded as Kate looked at the murder board. "So what did our victim find that go him all excited?"

"Don't know, but the lab called, stating the camera is clean and they are sending it up to us to look at." Ryan stated from his desk as he opened up his email.

Russell got up and walked up next to Kate. "We asked Dr. Parrish to look into Ashley Harrison's autopsy again to see if the other coroner missed something."

Kate nodded at her comment before moving on. "Ok where are we on the canvass for the victim's backpack?"

"Uniforms are searching the area for it." Ryan answered from his desk with his head bent while he was on the phone.

"Captain, I know it's your team's case now, but can I…" Karpowski started to say.

"Your Captain already has cleared you to work with us." Kate told him. He nodded as she walked away from the board. "How do you want to do this?"

"I'll take Castle with me to go talk to the father, see if he remembers anything." Russell told Kate who nodded. Russell looked at Ryan and Karpowski. "Stay on top of the canvass, and start going over Ashley's movements. Maybe something about her movements that got our victim excited about what he found."

Ryan and Karpowski nodded as Russell and Castle moved towards the elevator. Kate waved to Castle as the doors closed and she moved back into her office.

 **US Central Command**

 **Doha, Qatar**

"Hey Esposito you got a second." Jenkins called after Esposito who was on his way to his quarters, that he rarely used since arriving with the task force. He caught up to him. "I think I screwed up."

"What do you mean Jenkins?" Esposito asked as they walked towards the line of apartment style buildings on the base.

"That reporter that has been nosing around, I accidently let it slip that you helped your team in New York." Jenkins stated

Esposito took a deep breath and placed his hands on his hips. "Jenkins, you know the headache this reporter and his partner are causing in New York right now?"

"I know." Jenkins replied as he looked down at the ground. He then looked up at Esposito. "Look I apologize for the screw-up, but what harm has been done?"

"Right now, I don't know. But let me know exactly you said to the reporter? Esposito told Jenkins as they moved towards the barracks.

Jenkins told Esposito about how he told the reporter about the call from Castle, the request for information, what he found out, the identification of the fallen officer. "Look I'm sorry man, I didn't know who the guy was."

"Alright. I have to my let my folks know, but you have to tell Commander O'Donnell what you told me." Esposito stated to Jenkins who nodded. Esposito padded the man on the shoulder and started back towards the headquarters building to let the team know.

 **W 30** **th** **Street and 11** **th** **Avenue**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"Excuse me, where can we find Jeremy Harrison?" Russell asked the first worker that she saw as they walked towards the warehouse.

"He's over there by the loading bay." The man told them with a point of his hand towards the building.

"Thanks." Russell said as her and Castle walked towards the loading dock. They saw the heavy seat man in his mid 50's talking to another man near a truck. "Jeremy Harrison, NYPD, we have…."

Jeremy started what looked like a run towards the building when he was tripped over a parking lot barrier. Russell ran over and cuffed the man while he was trying to get up. "Look I didn't kill that reporter?"

"Reporter?" Russell asked as she and Castle along with a couple uniforms that Russell requested finally showed up and helped Jeremy to his feet. She held up Brandon Schroder's picture. "He was a documentary film maker, not a reporter."

Jeremy shrugged his shoulders. "Same thing."

"You failed English didn't you?" Castle asked Jeremy Harrison as Russell rolled her eyes.

 **12** **th** **Precinct**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"Come on Jeremy, if you didn't kill Brandon Schroder why did you try running from us?" Russell asked inside the interrogation room back at the precinct.

"It's an old habit from my college and drunken days." Jeremy stated from the seat, where a Band-Aid covered the deep scratch he received from when he fell trying to run. "However, I didn't kill that man."

"Jeremy you were suspected of killing your daughter, and this man had uncovered something that may solve her death." Castle stated as he looked Jeremy. He ignored Jeremy's stare. "Maybe he discovered the truth that during a drunken night you accidently killed her."

"Never happened. I loved my daughter." Jeremy stated leaning forward and pointing into the table.

Russell flipped open the case folder they received. "Really, you didn't have joint custody, and according to the police report, you were removed a few times from your ex's property a few times for being drunk and disorderly."

"Well my ex was a bitch." Jeremy stated leaning back in the chair now.

"And according to this you could only have supervised visits one a month with person from the court there." Russell read from the report. She then looked up at Jeremy and leaned forward in her chair. "I agree with my partner here, you killed your daughter, but I think you were sober, then my victim found out and to protect yourself you killed him too."

Jeremy shook his head in defiance. "Never happen."

"Then give us something to believe you?" Russell asked pointing into the table. She then looked directly into his eyes. "Where were you between midnight and four am this morning?"

"I don't think you'll believe me." Jeremey stated shaking his head at them.

Castle smiled. "Try us."

"I was at an alcohol treatment facility at Bellevue as a volunteer helping a college student go through detox." Jeremey told them as he crossed his arms.

Castle and Russell got up and started towards the door. Castle looked back at Jeremy. "When the police notified you about your daughter, whose blood was on your shirt when they arrived?"

"Believe it or not, cow blood from a butcher's shop. I fell down into it." Jeremy replied as he smirked at Castle. He shook his head. "Check with Michael Martinez. He's my sponsor."

Back into the bullpen, Russell waited on the phone with the alcohol treatment facility at Bellevue while Castle was on his cell phone. Ryan and Karpowski walked off the elevator and towards their desk. Ryan looked at the both of them. "How's it going?"

"Waiting to confirm Jeremy Harrison's alibi." Russell stated as she shifted on his feet. She motioned her head towards Castle. "He's calling somebody that Jeremy says is his sponsor."

"Well Michael Martinez confirms the story. He was the butcher when Jeremy fell into a bucket of blood the butcher was saving for a customer for Halloween." Castle stated as he put his phone away. He got up and moved towards the murder board. "He stated he heard the noise and saw Jeremy and offered him some help. Bad news is, it was nowhere near where Ashly was found and happen during the death time frame."

"Same for his alibi." Russell also added to the conversation as she hung up her phone and setting it down. "He was at the center helping the student out with the detox."

Ryan and Karpowski shook their heads, so Russell looked at them. "How did you turn out?"

"Uniforms found the back pack in a storm drain a couple blocks away from the crime scene." Ryan stated as he held up the evidence bag with the backpack in it. "Lab swept it for prints and fibers, but none because the storm drain

"While you were out, the camera arrived. This is what we found." Karpowski told them. He opened up the file as Russell and Castle gathered around the computer. "He filmed the alley earlier in the day."

"This is the spot where Ashley Harrison lost her life. Despite the best efforts of the police, her death remains unsolved, but with this film I hope to change that." Brandon Schroder's voice came over the footage of the alley.

The footage then cut to a women near a store in the area. "I knew Ashley, and I tell you this, she was murdered, but by someone she trusted more than anything in the world.

Karpowski paused it there. "Pretty much just interviews, and the scene in the alley. I know the women. Name is Shania Carter. Works in a store down there in the neighborhood."

Ryan came over with the notebooks from the backpack. "Went over the notebooks. Nothing too revealing, except our victim was on the trail of a person called MC."

"That's it?" Castle asked looking at Ryan. "MC could be anything. Master of Ceremonies, Middle Center, Manga Carter."

He stopped when everyone looked at him. "Sorry. What else did he have to say?"

"He got a copy of the case file by requesting it through the freedom of information act." Ryan stated as he set the notebooks down on the desk. He held up a notebook. "Yet I looked over the case file, there is no mention of anyone with the initials of MC listed."

Karpowski nodded. "Also none of Ashley's friends were named with an M or C."

"So what is he talking about then?" Russell asked as she looked at the notebook.

"Maybe it's like reporter code?" Castle told the group who looked at him.

"Well whatever the case, I suggest we change up strategies." Russell said getting up from where she was sitting and moving to the board. She looked at the information that was on there. "Ryan, you and Karpowski go down the list that our victim talked to, and track his movements."

Ryan and Karpowski nodded as Castle got up and walked towards the board himself. "What are we doing?"

Russell looked at Castle. "Going to go back over Ashley Harrison's death, and treat it as a murder."

 **Kate and Rick's Loft**

 **SoHo, New York**

Rick and Kate walked into the loft seeing Alexis sitting down on the couch with a book open in front of her and making notes in a notebook. She looked up as the door closed. "Hey you two, how was your day?"

"Alright. What is going on with you?" Kate asked as she walked towards the couch. She sat down and took off her heels and leaned back.

Alexis leaned back and placed her head on Kate's shoulders. "I had a reporter confront me on campus."

Rick and Kate's heads snapped around at the comment. Rick came over and sat on the edge of the couch. "Was she about 5'4 blonde hair?"

"Yeah that's her." Alexis sat up and looked at her parents. She saw the anger in their eyes. "I take it you know this reporter?"

"You could say that." Kate remarked getting up and pulling out her phone.

Rick sat down on the couch next to his daughter. "What did she ask?"

"What did I know about the ISIS cell take down, the task force that Esposito is on?" Alexis stated as she placed her head on her father's shoulders. "I didn't say anything, because I really don't know anything."

"Well next time, security is going to detain her." Kate answered coming back over and sitting on the opposite side of Alexis. "She had no right to confront you on campus."

"It's ok guys, she pretty much left when a couple of my friends threaten to call security." Alexis told them. She patted both of them on the thighs. She saw a piece of paper sticking out of her father's pocket. She pulled it out. "Why do you have the letters MC on a piece of paper?"

Rick took the paper back from his daughter. "Part of our case. Our victim had this written out in the notebooks of his, as someone he was following."

"Oh was this the body you went to this morning?" Alexis asked getting nods from her parents. She looked at the both of them. "Who was he anyway?"

"Some documentary film maker that was starting a film on a previous case that one of my temp detectives worked on." Kate remarked as she leaned back into the couch too tired to move.

"And MC probably aren't initials of a person either, so I am going to try and decipher his code." Rick replied as he leaned back into the couch as well. "Problem is the code usually is known to the person who created it."

"Well he is probably using a letter substitution code to protect the person's identity." Alexis told them as she got up and walked towards the kitchen. "What do you want for dinner?"

Rick and Kate looked at Alexis. Rick got up. "What do you mean?"

Alexis took out a bottle of water. She looked at her father. "To protect the person's identity, he had to substitute the person's real initials for the ones you have. He probably used a multiple letter substitution code that he would only know."

"So how do we break it Alexis?" Kate asked coming up to stand next to Rick.

"Find the key break to crack the code." Rick stated with Alexis nodding.

Kate and Rick looked at each other as it hit them. "The key is in the case file."

Alexis shook her head with a smile as she left the kitchen.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: I apoloigize everybody for the very long day in updating. Between work, family issues, sick and the holdiay, just didnt have time until not to update. Will finish the story soon, and continue on in this universe, but I have another story in the works that will takes us back to 1941 and December. Please enjoy the update and keep the reviews coming.**

 **Chapter 4**

 **12** **th** **Precinct**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"A letter substitution code Castle?" Russell remarked as she and Castle walked into the bullpen towards the desk as they sipped at their coffee. She brought hers from home while Castle stopped by the neighborhood coffee shop to get his. "Not that it doesn't make sense, but there be thousands of possible combinations. How are you going to crack it?"

Castle stopped by the desk and looked at the files from Ashley Harrison's case. "The key is in there and possibly in the notebooks. Letter substitution codes usually start with something simple like a key phrase, word, and letter. In my research some spy's use the alphabet reversing it a couple times before encrypting a message. Crude but effective."

"So the key would be something we would have to find." Russell stated with Castle nodding as she sat down at her desk. She sighed and looked at the board and Castle for a moment. "So where do you want to begin?"

Lanie walked into the bullpen and straight towards Russell's desk. "How about with me?"

"Lanie what did you find out?" Castle asked as he saw Lanie hand a report over to Russell.

"I don't know who did the autopsy on this poor girl but whoever did screwed up." Lanie stated as she sat down on the edge of the desk. "They missed clear signs of murder with the blunt force trauma to the head. That type of injury would only come from striking her with force or tripping at a force into a hard object."

"So still a possible accident then?" Russell asked.

Lanie shook her head. "She was about 60 pounds soaking wet, and no way that girl could fall at the rate to cause that injury. She was hit with a blunt object."

"Nothing in case file about a weapon or an object." Castle replied as he held up the case folder and looked through it. "Her blood was found on the dumpster, and detectives and the lab figured that was the object that was the cause of death."

Russell nodded and looked at Lanie. "Dr. Parrish, what about trace evidence?"

"The moron at least did that right." Lanie replied to the question as she got up walked over to the board. "He sent the evidence to the lab, and last I checked, it still hasn't been test because the death wasn't ruled a homicide."

"So it's been sitting in storage for all these years?" Castle asked getting a nod from Lanie.

"Standard procedure Castle." Karpowski stated as he and Ryan walked into the bullpen towards their desk. They stopped by the board. Karpowski pulled out his notebook. "Talked to everyone our victim talked to, and it was basically the same thing they said on the camera. No one remembers anyone following our victim."

"So the suspect was waiting for Brandon as he arrived in that the alley right before he was killed." Russell said seeing Karpowski nodded. She then looked at Ryan. "Did anyone of them recall anything?"

"No, but the lady that said Ashley Harrison was killed by someone she trusted reiterated that." Ryan said as he now came over and looked at the board. "But like Karpowski said not much of them recall seeing anything differently."

"Alright then. Dr. Parrish, have the lab test that trace evidence for us, and any DNA samples they have, maybe we'll get a hit that way." Russell asked Lanie who nodded and started to walk towards the elevator. She saw Ryan go towards his desk to answer his phone. "Castle you and I will go over the case files like originally planned to see if there is anything that we missed."

"That was NYU's film school. They found something that we should take a look at." Ryan stated.

Russell nodded and Ryan and Karpowski left the bullpen. She sat down and looked at Castle. She saw the look. "What are you thinking about Castle?"

"Her parents are divorced, maybe step dad is a little unapproachable. So who do you go to?" Castle asked. He saw the look on Russell's face. "I'm asking because despite me and mother, Alexis had that one person she could go too, to talk about anything."

"Your best friend." Russell stated. She opened up the folder and scanned the names. "Here it is Sherry Jefferson, and Karpowski noted she got married."

"Let's call her in and see if she can remember anything." Castle mentioned getting up from his seat. He saw Russell nod her head.

"Good idea." Russell stated as she picked up the phone, and dialed the number listed in the file.

 **New York University**

 **Manhattan, New York**

Ryan and Karpowski walked into the office of the NYU film school and towards the desk. They held up their badges to the secretary. She looked at the pair of them. "Hold on gentlemen and I'll call Mr. Avery, he told me to expect you."

Ryan and Karpowski nodded as they started to mill about. Their wait wasn't a particularly long one as the doors open. "Detectives, I'm Jonathan Avery. Come on back."

"Thank you sir." Ryan stated as they followed Mr. Avery towards the back of the film school. Ryan looked around. "Did Brandon do some of his editing here?"

"Not that much, only when he couldn't get into the main editing room at some of the production companies." Mr. Avery said as they turned into a film room. He tapped a student on the shoulder. "We found this when we were clearing out a locker that Brandon kept here so we can give it to his wife."

The student cued up the video and the video started to come onto the scene to which Brandon's voice came through the speakers. "Ashley Harrison's death was a tradgey, which could have been prevented if she had told what she found out to her mother. Instead she told this secret to someone that she trusted, and it killed her. Ashley Harrison was murdered by this person who pushed the 11 year girl into the dumpster. This person was from inside the Ashley Harrison's home."

The video then went to a picture of Ashely, her mother, and step-father and what one could assume to be the nanny. Brandon's voice came over the video again. "One of these three adults killed young Ashley to cover up something that was happening at the Harrison home."

The video ended there as Mr. Avery nodded to the student who ejected the SD card from the machine. He handed it over to Karpowski who had put in gloves and had Mr. Avery put the card in to an evidence bag. As Karpowski sealed the bag, he looked at Mr. Avery. "Thank you sir. Did Mr. Schroder leave anything else here?"

Mr. Avery shook his head at the question. "Nope. Just some other projects stuff, and paperwork that we sent to his wife."

"Did he ever talk about maybe someone he talked to that gave him this information?" Ryan asked getting a shake of the head from Mr. Avery. "How about changing a person's name using a code?"

"Brandon did that before sure just too usually protect his part of project but never in depth." Mr. Avery stated as he crossed his arms. "This is unusual even for him. His biggest goal was to direct a documentary for a big company not do his own thing."

"How did he come across this then?" Karpowski asked making notes after putting the evidence bag away in a secured carrier.

"If I remember correctly one of our students was friends with the girl that died." Mr. Avery stated as he uncrossed his arms. He walked to the door and looked around. "Carrie, what was the name of the student who knew the victim?"

Carrie thought about it for a second. "Sherrie Mortenson."

"Was her maiden name Jefferson?" Karpowski asked getting a nod.

"I think it was yes." Carrie replied to the question.

"Thank you for your time and the video Mr. Avery." Karpowski said shaking hands with Mr. Avery and the students in the room. As they were walking out, Karpowski pulled out his cell phone and placed a call.

"What's up Karpowski?" Russell asked as they were walking up to Sherry Jefferson Mortenson's apartment building.

"Hey our victim was turned on to this case by Sherry Jefferson." Karpowski stated as they walked outside the film school. He waited for Ryan to catch up. "The video was Brandon basically reiterating the things people were saying but said the person who killed Ashley was inside the Harrison household?"

Castle hearing the conversation leaned in a little closer. "He didn't mention who did he?"

"No, but it was the mom, step-dad, and what I am assuming is the nanny. Brandon stated one of the three adults said committed the crime." Ryan stated as they looked around.

"Well two of them possibly. Ashley Harrison's step-father was in London on business." Karpowski stated as they started walking again. "That was confirmed by his office and his ticket and hotel receipts. And yes Castle his business over there was confirmed by the people he met with."

Russell stifled a laugh. She looked around. "I don't have the file in front of me, but get back to the bullpen and go over the file again. Karpowski see where the mother was and the nanny."

"Right." Karpowski stated as he hung up the phone with Russell.

 **East Village**

 **Manhattan, New York**

Russell and Castle after the phone call walked into the building where Sherrie Jefferson now Mortensen lived with her family. They climbed the two flights to the third floor and walked to the door. Russell knocked on the door and the 25 year old blonde female opened the door. "Ms. Mortenson, Detective Jennifer Russell. This is Mr. Castle, we called and asked if we could ask you a few questions."

"Oh yes come on in." Sherry stated as she held opened the door for Russell and Castle. She walked into the living room and pointed to the couch. "Sorry about the mess, my daughter is sick today."

"Quite alright Ms. Mortenson." Russell stated as she took a seat on the couch. She pulled out her phone and brought up a picture of Brandon Schroder and handed it over to her. "It has come to our attention that you brought the case to this man's attention."

"Yes that is Brandon. We teamed up on a project shooting in some low down areas and talking about unsolved crimes or wrongful arrest while I was at school." Sherry replied to the statement made by Russell. She passed the phone back to Russell. "I told him about my best friend and how it was a crime that her death still wasn't resolved by now."

"So he started his own investigation?" Castle asked.

Sherry nodded and took a deep breath. "Ashley was my best friend, and we shared a lot. We had an agreement that she be my maid of honor despite me having a sister."

Russell nodded and made a small note. She looked up. "So Brandon interviewed you, requested a copy of the case file, and started to follow the clues that were there?"

"I helped when I could, but with me being a mom and a student, I couldn't do as much as I wanted too." Sherry stated as she looked at the both of them. She teared up a bit. "I was devastated when I heard the news that he was killed."

"We have to ask Sherry, where were you at the time of his murder?" Russell asked.

"Here at home with my family. I can have them confirm it, because my daughter has been sick for the past two days." Sherry stated.

"We would appreciate that." Castle replied. He looked at notes that he made. "If you can remember, what was Ashley doing near that alley anyway?"

"She ran away from home when she found out something." Sherry replied to the question. She sighed and looked again at Russell and Castle. "After her parents divorced, Ashley's mom met her step-father while going out one night to a bar while Ashley slept over at my place."

"What did her step-father do?" Russell asked seeing if Sherry would confirm the case file information.

Sherry thought back. "If I remember something to do with financial acquisitions for some firm downtown. Ashley mom and him dated for six months, married 3 months after that, and for a while they were happy."

"What happen?" Castle asked.

"Ashley mom started to be more involved in projects and charities which took up a lot of her time, so they hired a nanny to help look out after Ashley until she would turn 15." Sherry stated as she took a deep breath. She got up and went to the book shelf. She came back and handed a journal over. "Ashley kept that with me so her mom wouldn't find it, but one day Ashley came home early and found her nanny and her step-father in bed together."

"What happen after that?" Russell asked leaning forward.

Sherry sighed again as the hurtful memory came back up. "She tried to tell her mom, but her mom didn't want to listen to her. She confronted her step-dad, who told her it was a one-time thing but she caught them in bed again. She told her mom again who didn't believe her, so she confronted the nanny and the nanny told her she was going to break up her family. That is when she called me telling me she was going to her dads, but when he wasn't home, she was going to come here. That was the last time I heard from her."

Castle looked at Russell. "Probably going to see if her dad could beat up her step-father or at least live with him."

"Could be Castle, or maybe she threaten somehow to leak it to someone important at the company." Russell replied to the question. She looked at Sherry. "Would the nanny be capable of something like this?"

"Maybe but I don't know, but at her step-father's company, they had a morality clause in their contract." Sherry stated as she got up and dug around for a notebook. She returned a moment later. "I did a little investigating on my own, and her step father's company in their contract states, if a marriage is dissolved by infidelity on the part of our employee, said employee could be terminated."

Castle whistled. "That's a plenty of motive there."

"But her step-father has an alibi." Russell remarked as she consulted her notes. "Yeah, Jeffery Cassidy, is confirmed to be in London."

"I don't know if this helps, but the nanny quit the day Ashley died." Sherry said. She sighed and the tears started. She looked down at her phone. "Oh my daughter has a doctor's appointment that I have to get her too."

"Sure no problem." Russell stated as she got up from her seat with Castle following suit a second later. She turned to Sherry one last time. "What was the name of the nanny?"

"Ahh, Michelle Campbell." Sherry answered as she led the way to the door. Russell and Castle stared at each other. "What?"

"M.C." Castle stated as he started towards the door. He shook the hands of Sherry and walked out in the hallway.

"You're right Castle, all it mentions in the file is the family had a nanny who resigned the day of Ashley's death." Russell answered Castle's statement as she shook Sherry's hand and joined Castle in the hallway. They waited until the door was shut.

"So the question is? Why would the nanny want this girl dead?" Castle asked walking towards the stairs.

"Also the other question is, if the nanny did it, why kill our victim." Russell also stated to Castle as they started down.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: I hope everyone enjoys the update. We will be wrapping up the case soon. Please keep the reviews coming. Thanks again.**

 **Chapter 5**

 **12** **th** **Precinct**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"I mean the nanny guys, come on even for Castle that is a bit of stretch." Kate said as she sat down on the desk looking at Russell and Castle who stood near the murder board. She shook her head. "Was she even interviewed?"

"No, because Ashley Harrison's mother didn't say anything neither did Jeffery Cassidy the step-father and the detectives assigned never bothered asking." Russell remarked. That got Kate's head shaking, so Russell decided to move on. She pointed to the board at Jeffery Cassidy's photo. "His alibi is solid for Ashley's death, and we don't know if he even lives in area now."

"He does. He moved back a couple years ago from spending time at his business's west coast office." Karpowski planted the photo of Jeffery Cassidy on the board. He turned and looked at everyone. "Guess who he got married too two years after Ashley's mom died."

Castle looked at "The nanny?"

Karpowski nodded as Ryan came up. "Well Brandon may not have used technology for notes for his films, but he had a cell phone. Warrant came through and his phone is pinging in the area near the crime scene."

"I'm surprised it still works." Castle remarked with a smile on his face.

"Well Ryan you and Karpowski go find that cell phone. Russell you and Castle go interview Jeffery Cassidy and his new wife." Kate ordered getting up with a grunt from the desk. She stretched and looked at the team. "By the way, I had ordered a phone records check on you all, as well as email to see if anyone talked to the reporters. You are cleared."

"Wow 1PP must really be in a frenzy about this." Castle remarked as he gathered his things.

"They are, but let me know if they confront you or if you hear from Esposito saying the same thing." Kate ordered getting nods from everyone.

As they walked to the elevator, Castle tossed a look back to his wife to which she gave an ok sign to him. He smiled and joined the rest of the team on the elevator. Ryan looked at Castle. "Did you have a nanny for Alexis, Castle?"

Castle shook his head no. "Meredith wanted to get one, but I said no. I was home most days, and mother was more than happy to babysit as well."

"That's nice Castle." Karpowski replied to the statement as the doors closed. He was impressed by Castle again about his dedication to family.

Russell and Ryan both nodded in agreement.

 **Upper West Side**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"Thank you for seeing us Mr. and Mrs. Cassidy." Russell stated as they walked into the living area of the Cassidy residence. Russell and Castle took a seat on a sofa while Mr. and Mrs. Cassidy took a seat on love seat across from them. "We just have a few questions for you if you don't mind."

"Will we need our lawyer for this?" Mrs. Michelle Campbell Cassidy asked a bit nervous as she looked at Russell.

"I don't think so honey for questions only." Mr. Cassidy answered his wife trying to calm her down.

"Thank you sir. Your name came up in a murder investigation we are conducting, and are wondering if you know this person?" Russell stated as she passed over a picture of Brandon Schroder to Mr. Cassidy.

Mr. Cassidy nodded. "Yes that is Brandon Schroder, he is doing a documentary on what happen to my step-daughter 12 years ago."

Michelle nodded her head in agreement. "He interviewed us about two weeks ago. Seems like a good enough man."

Russell and Castle made notes of this. Castle looked up first. "Did you tell him about what you think may have happen?"

"I did, but Michelle here gave just a basic background, because she was fired the day Ashley died." Mr. Cassidy replied as he passed the picture back to Russell. He took his wife's hand. "Ashely found out about us, and for a while we ended it, but after Ashley died, and so did Susan, we found each other again."

"Despite the risk to your job sir?" Russell asked.

Mr. Cassidy nodded. "Yes but no one ever found out about the affair."

"Now we went back over Ashley's case, it seems like she was trying to go to her father's place." Castle stated as he looked at the pair. "Doesn't that seem a little strange to you?"

"She always tried to have a relationship with him, but he was never there for her." Michelle said as she shifted in her seat. "We had a great relationship but after we began our affair, it went downhill, and her mom fired me the day Ashley died."

"What time was that?" Russell asked.

"If I remember correctly around 3 pm, because Ashley was not at the bus stop." Michelle stated.

"Where were you sir between midnight and four am yesterday morning?" Russell asked after making the notes of what Michelle had told her.

"On a flight back from France where we just set up a new office." Mr. Cassidy said getting up and getting the airline ticket stub from a desk and handing it over to Russell. "I touched down about 7am yesterday morning."

Russell made notes of the flight number and airline to check. She then looked at Michelle. "And you Ms. Cassidy?"

"I came home around 11pm and never left the apartment after that." Michelle remarked. She remained seated. She looked at Russell and Castle. "Why are you asking us this?"

"Standard procedure ma'am that's all." Russell replied as she wrote this down. She then looked back at Michelle. "Do you remember where you were when Ashley was killed and then later found?"

"I was at home with my parents." Michelle told Russell. She got up and went to a desk and handed over a photo. "If you want to ask them you'll need a senance to do it."

"Michelle, these officers are just doing their jobs." Mr. Cassidy stated admonishing his wife. He looked at Russell. "Sorry about that detective."

"Quite alright sir, and its detective and write." Russell answered as she smiled at the husband. She looked at the wife and then back to the husband. "One final question sir, do you own a gun?"

"I do, it's a Smith and Wesson 45 caliber revolver." Mr. Cassidy answered. He got up and went to the hallway closet where he retrieved the box. "Why do you ask?"

"Our victim was killed with gun sir, and it's to eliminate you and your wife as suspects sir." Castle answered tossing a quick glance over to Russell.

"Jeffery, I would feel better if they got a warrant." Michelle said to her husband.

Russell got up and put on gloves just in case she had to handle the weapon. "We could get one sir, but then I have to take the gun into custody, and it may be months before you get it back."

"Its quite alright detective, I am pretty confident that this will not match." Mr. Cassidy told Russell as well as his wife.

Russell took the gun and looked it over. She smiled at the couple and sealed it in a evidence bag. She handed it to the officer who was just waiting inside the door for them. She turned to the couple. "I don't have any further questions for you. Castle?"

"Just one more. Mr. Cassidy who called you about your step-daughter, was it the wife or your former nanny?" Castle asked looking at the both of them. Castle ignored the look from Michelle.

Mr. Cassidy crossed his arms. "Wife, Mr. Castle, Why?"

"Just curious." Castle remarked as he shook Mr. Cassidy and his wife's hand as him and Russell walked out of the apartment. As soon as the door was shut. "Think the wife did it."

"Oh come on Castle, she was nervous, like anybody that has never been question by the police before would be." Russell stated as she and Castle walked to the elevator. She tossed a glimpse over her shoulder. "But the gun has been recently fired."

"So that maybe our murder weapon." Castle replied with Russell nodding. He also too tossed a glimpse towards the door. "In my stories this is generally where the spouse comes running out stating they changed their minds and they want us to get a warrant."

"I'll call the lab from the ground floor when we pick up the surveillance footage." Russell answered as the doors opened.

Castle looked at her in surprise. "Don't you need a warrant for that?

Russell shook her head. "Head of Security was my old training officer, so he decided for old time's shake to hook us up."

Castle and Russell smiled as the elevator doors closed.

 **Upper East Side**

 **Manhattan, New York**

For Karpowski and Ryan their search lead them down the alley near where the victim was shot. Ryan stared at his phone as they continued to walk. "According to the cell phone company it has to be within a hundred feet of here."

"Well that narrows it down." Karpowski said as he came over close to Ryan. He stared over the shoulder and pulled out his phone. He saw Ryan's look. "Going to end this before it gets much worst."

Karpowski dialed the number and brought his phone up to his ear. "Wait do you hear that?"

Ryan nodded as the theme from the Oscars was playing from somewhere near them. They started to trackdown the noise and it eventually lead them to a dumpster. Ryan leaned in close, then dropped to his knees. "Ehh, these were brand new pants."

"Your wife should be able to get them clean." Karpowski replied with a smirk on his face as Ryan placed gloves on his hands and reached under the dumpster. "Find it."

"I hope so, or this is one big ass rat." Ryan remarked as he pulled out the phone from underneath the dumpster. He silenced the call. He scanned through the numbers that were on the phone. "Most of these calls are from people you would expect, his wife, people he worked with. But here is a number that has no name. 212-555-4845."

"That sounds familiar." Karpowski remarked as he held open a evidence back as Ryan dropped the phone back in there. He looked down where Ryan was standing. "Ryan you dropped a SD card?"

"That's not mine, by it was on the phone." Ryan stated as he bent down and picked up the SD card. He looked it over. "Looks like the same one the victim used for his camera."

Ryan sealed in a evidence bag and looked around. "I'm going to check on that business down at the other end of the alley, and see if they have any street surveillance cameras."

"I'll call in this number and see who it belongs too." Karpowski stated as he again pulled out his cellphone and placed a call to the cell company that was helping them out. "This is Detective Jeffery Karpowski, I need a number run please. 212-555-4845."

Karpowski was on hold for a couple minutes when Ryan returned carrying a CD with him. "They did security cameras. They gave us footage to look at."

"Great, waiting on the cell number to be check." Karpowski said to Ryan. He held up his hand. "Got it thank you."

Ryan looked at him with curiosity. "What?"

"Number is registered to one Jeffery Cassidy." Karpowski told him with the both of them looking surprised.

 **12** **th** **Precinct**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"Thank you." Russell stated as she hung up the phone and looked for Castle who was looking over the case file. She got his attention. "Jeffery Cassidy's alibi checked out. He indeed was on the flight from Paris."

"I didn't think it was him. Didn't have a problem with the questions, nor did he have a problem answering them." Castle responded to the statement made by Russell. He looked at the board where they had posted a picture of Michelle Campbell Cassidy. "I definitely think it is the nanny."

"She's not the nanny anymore Castle." Kate replied as she came out of the office. "Where…"

"Captain Beckett, word has it that One Police Plaza…" Sierra Potter started to say off the elevator with two cops coming up the stairs right after her.

"Sorry Captain, she snuck by us." One the officers' state.

"It's alright, just get her out of here." Kate told them as they escorted her back to the elevator. She looked at them. "Next time arrest her for disorderly conduct."

The officers nodded as they elevator doors closed. Russell and Castle looked at Kate. She turned to them. "Where were we?"

"I sent the gun to the lab and they are processing it now, and Mr. Cassidy alibi checked out." Russell told Kate who stood there before the murder board. "Waiting on Ryan to get back so I can have him go over the building security footage."

"I'll get to it, but we found our vics cell phone." Ryan said as he and Karpowski strolled on into the bullpen. He saw the looks on everyone. "Yeah, these are getting thrown out."

"What did you find Ryan?" Kate asked trying to hide the smile on her face.

"Our vic received a text message twenty minutes before time of death to meet in the alley." Ryan said as he held up the phone. He set it down on his desk and held up two other evidence bags. "This is a SD card, maybe from our victim's camera, and this is surveillance footage from the other end of the alley, maybe our shooter walked out that way."

Russell crossed her arms and strolled to the murder board. "Who is the phone registered too?"

"Jeffery Cassidy from his job. He got two. One for him and one for his wife. This one that sent him the message was from him." Karpowski noted. He then saw the looks on everyone else face. "What?"

"Jeffery alibied out. He was at forty thousand feet when Brandon was shot." Castle said getting up and walking up to the murder board. He studied it for a moment. "Maybe the phones are the same."

"Like two of the same type?" Russell asked.

Castle nodded. "Yeah, because if Jeffery and his wife had the same phone maybe she switched them around to have her husband think he accidently grabbed the wrong one."

Kate looked at her photo which vibrated with an email. "Could be, check on her alibi and run a background check on here. Russell, Lanie is ready for you."

Russell and Castle nodded as Ryan went to start going over security footage as Karpowski went to run the background check on Michelle Campbell Cassidy.

 **Office of the Chief Medical Examiner**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"Turns our girl had traces of skin under her finger nails. So I had the lab run DNA comparison against family. Not a match." Lanie said to Russell and Castle as they walked into the autopsy room. She passed over the information sheet. "Sample is XX."

"How did they miss that?" Russell asked as she looked at the information sheet.

"Like I said, since it wasn't a homicide, and not a sucide, they felt it wasn't warranted." Lanie answered the statement. She went to her desk and pullout photos from the case files. "These were taken a couple days afterwards. Not much detail and they didn't have the technology back then, but they look like fingers along her neck."

"We'll get these sent blown up and see if they can get any details." Russell remarked putting the photos in the folder.

Castle looked at the briefing sheet. "Lanie how long would she have suffered?"

"Not long Castle a couple minutes." Lanie remarked as she crossed her arms. She looked at the both of them. "That gun you also brought in matches the bullets that we pulled out of our victim too."

Castle and Russell looked at the report together.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: This wraps up the case. Epilogue is next. I will take a short break from this AU to work on a Christmas story. I will have another story while i work on the Christmas one to fill in for me. Please enjoy and keep the reviews coming.**

 **Chapter 6**

 **12** **th** **Precinct**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"Jeffery Cassidy's gun matches the murder weapon used to kill Brandon Schroder in the alley." Russell stated as she placed the photo of the gun on the murder board. She looked at the team. "His alibi is solid though for murder."

"So the gun is used to commit the murder of Brandon Schroder but Jeffery is alibied out." Castle replied toe the statement by Russell. He looked at the rest of them including Kate. He turned back to Russell. "What about the wife?"

"Ryan is still going over the security camera footage from the scene and her building." Karpowski said as he came close to the board. He passed over a sheet of paper. "Come to find out that Michelle was placed with the Cassidy's by a placement agency, but was fired from two previous jobs. Can you guess what for?"

"Trying to sleep with the husbands." Castle replied, with Karpowski nodding in response.

"Yep one was an investment banker who ended up divorced." Karpowski cited from memory as Russell scanned over the paper that Karpowski handed her. "The other is someone we know."

Russell looked up from the sheet in shock. "Judge Niemen?"

Castle was shocked as well. "Walter?"

Russell turned away from Karpowski and looked at Castle. "How do you know the judge?"

"He plays poker with him once a week." Kate replied with a smile on her face that got Castle smiling as well. She then turned back to them. "Does she have any criminal activity?"

"None, but she was born in the Bronx, both parents are deceased." Karpowski replied as he looked at Kate. He then turned back to Russell. "Very middle class upbringing, and from what I could find out from old neighbors; she was always trying to improve her family's standing. She told a neighbor once that she will marry a man that is well off if it kills her."

"Well it looks like she done the opposite." Castle stated that got a chuckle from Russell and Karpowski but not his wife.

"She is innocent till proven guilty Castle and that is our job." Kate replied as she looked at the board. "So she wants to change her finical status, but killing a 12 year girl to protect her lovers job, but why Brandon?"

"If it comes out she goes to jail and possibly so does he." Russell stated as she looked at the board. She studied it for a moment. "We need a DNA sample but there is no way we can get a judge to sign off on this without more evidence."

Castle got up and walked close to the murder board. "You know in movies and TVs shows, as well as some of my books, they often get a DNA sample from a likely source a cup or a water bottle."

"Rarely that happens in real life Castle." Russell remarked as she continued to stare at the murder board.

"Guys I got something for you." Ryan said coming out of the room where he was going over the security footage from both the Cassidy's building and the insurance. They followed him back into the room. He waited for everyone to stop moving. "Okay this footage is from the Cassidy's building. Take a look."

The video showed Michelle Campbell Cassidy home in car and the valet parking the car. On another screen they show Ms. Campbell moving to the elevator. Russell looked at Ryan. "So her alibi holds up."

Ryan didn't let the slight get to him. He pointed at the screen. "This was at 730. Check it out about four hours later."

The security camera showed Melissa not coming out of the elevator, but the stairwell next to it. She went to the valet who backed out the car and brought it to her. Castle looked at the images as the car left the garage. "She left and came down the stairs."

"Nothing to conclusive there Ryan." Kate stated as she turned to Ryan who was clicking over to a different footage. "So she left."

"Yeah, and turned up across the street from the alley where our victim was shot." Ryan stated as he played the footage. It showed Michelle walking across the street towards the alley. Ryan switched over to a side view showing a portion of the alley. It showed her walking down the alley. She stopped for a second and pulled out something from her purse. "That's the murder weapon."

"Wow this company went all out for the good security cameras." Castle remarked as the clarity on screen impressed him. "Ryan what is the store?"

"A security camera store." Ryan replied with a smile. Michelle walked out of the range of the camera. "This is it for the next twenty minutes or so, until this."

The footage was sped up to where Michelle reappeared on the screen where she was running back towards the car with the gun still out. She slowed down and remembered to put the gun back in the purse before crossing the street. Ryan stopped it there. "This was just a couple minutes after our victim was killed."

Kate stared at the screen. "Rick, call Judge Nieman and see if he'll sign a warrant for me."

"He will since I still owe him five thousand dollars." Castle remarked as he pulled out his phone.

Kate shook her head and turned around looked at the team. "Ryan, you and Karpowski go over that car when the warrant is signed, and Russell go arrest Michelle."

"With her five hundred dollar a hour lawyer." Karpowski nodded with a smirk as Castle gave the thumbs up.

Kate smiled and check her phone seeing a message from the commissioner's officer asking to come in. "I'll get the warrant submitted and then I have to get to 1PP."

Everyone nodded and left the conference room including Kate.

 **Upper East Side**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"Detective what can I do for you now?" Mr. Cassidy stated as he opened the door. He looked on when Russell handed him an arrest warrant and walked past with Castle and a couple of officers. "A warrant for my wife? Is this a joke?"

"Honey what is going….." Michelle Cassidy said coming out of the kitchen and seeing the officers, along with Russell and Castle standing in the living room.

"Michelle Cassidy, you're under arrest for the murder of Brandon Schroder." Russell stated as the officers moved forward to place her in hand cuffs. "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be used…."

"Detective you have to be joking." Mr. Cassidy said coming over only to be blocked by a uniform officer leading her out. "Don't say anything, I'll call our attorney."

"Criminal, not financial." Castle remarked as he and Russell followed the officers out.

Russell just rolled her eyes as they neared the elevator.

 **One Police Plaza**

 **Manhattan, New York**

"Captain Beckett, how did the search of your precinct go?" The commissioner asked as Kate sat down in the chair provided to her.

"No one on my team leaked anything to the reporters, nor did anyone else within the precinct." Kate replied as she passed over her report to the commissioner. "So the leak is not coming from within my precinct."

"Nor is it coming from ESU sir." Captain Meyers stated passing over his report to the commissioner as well. "I tripled check everybody."

"All right, that means the leak is coming from somewhere here within the building itself." Chief Miller remarked as he got up and poured himself some coffee. He walked back to the desk. "By the way Captain Beckett, we heard from Ms. Potter's attorney. You threaten her with arrest next time she sneaks into your precinct."

"Sir she used a crowed lobby to get by my desk officers to get to the elevator. They saw that and reacted accordingly." Kate replied with a smile on her face. She shook her head. "I am just hoping she gets the message."

"Maybe, maybe not, but for now we'll get back to our normal routine." Chief Miller stated with a nod of agreement from the commissioner. "Thank you Captain Beckett."

"Thank you sir, commissioner." Kate replied getting up and saluting which was return. She exited the office and headed back to the precinct.

 **12** **th** **Precinct**

 **Manhattan, New York**

Kate walked into the observation room and stared through the window to which Michelle Cassidy sat with her husband and their lawyer. Castle came by and stood close to her. "how did it go?"

Kate turned and smiled at him. "It went fine. How did the search of the car go?"

"You were right Captain. GSR was found on the steering wheel as well as gear shift." Ryan said handing over the report. He turned and looked into the room. "A shell casing was also found in the door jam."

"We took a swab and sent it down to the lab for comparison on the Ashley Harrison murder." Russell told Kate who nodded and handed the paperwork to Russell.

Kate smiled at her. "Your case, you take the lead in there."

Russell smiled and nodded as she gathered up the remaining paperwork and walked out with Castle and into the interrogation room. She smiled at the attorney. "Counselor Detective Russell, and this is Mr. Castle."

"This is a witch hunt pure and simple detective." The lawyer stated without shaking hands with Russell and Detective. "My client is a loving wife and pillar of the community."

"Really, I wonder how she got that way." Castle said with a smirk on his face as he looked Michelle.

"That is uncalled for Mr. Castle." Jeffery Cassidy replied with anger as he pointed a finger at Castle. "No matter what happen in her past or in mine, she is my wife now and should be treated with respect."

Castle looked at Russell. "Respect, such a highly misused word don't you think detective?"

"I agree, because our victim didn't get any respect nor did Ashley Harrison." Russell stated as she set the surveillance photos down in front of Michelle. "You see Michelle, you come from a middle class background, but that didn't sit right with you, so you became a nanny in order to bag a man of wealth and status."

The lawyer leaned forward. "That is highly questionable detective."

"Really, Mr. Castle's good friend Judge Niemen might disagree." Russell remarked as she pushed the pictures closer. "You killed Brandon Schroder because he was close to exposing you as the person who killed Ashley. If I take your prints and run them against the marks on Ashley's neck, I figure they will match."

"She trusted you to look after here, but comes to find you and her step-father in bed literraly." Castle remarked. He leaned forward in the chair. "She told her mother who let it slide, and I bet she threaten to go to his boss, and you couldn't let that happen."

Russell took the thread that Castle had started and pulled on it. "You were a mid-level associate then Mr. Cassidy, and you're what today? Associate VP."

"How does this matter?" Jeffery asked.

"I looked it up. 700 thousand a year, is a pretty nice chunk of change." Castle replied as he passed the paperwork that he got from the company to Michelle. "Which she couldn't risk."

"Even if this were true, Jeff is innocent and has alibi for both murders." The lawyer remarked leaning back in his chair.

Russell nodded in agreement. "True, but I come to find out that Michelle here is quite handy with that gun of her husbands, because my tech guy found this photo of them at the range. Hit our victim three times center mass."

"Kill shot." Castle remarked.

"And this photo is you checking to make sure the gun was in your purse, and here you are running back to the car. I'm guessing you emptied the shells in a storm drain at the next light."

"We don't have to listen to this, come Michelle….." The lawyer started to say.

"You are facing life in prison without prarole, so why don't you come out with it and maybe have shot at old age." Castle stated leaning forward in his chair.

"Or you could take your chances and maybe when the jury hears you killed a 12 year old…." Russell started to say.

"Stupid bastard couldn't let things lie. That bitch had to tell him everything." Michelle shouted with her lawyer shaking her head. She looked at Jeffery. "I didn't want to lose you and go back to that mundane existence. I wanted what Ashley's mom had. The status, privilege, I wanted what Mr. Castle has and what we have."

Castle took a quick glance back to the mirror before looking at Michelle again. "Its not all wine and roses to start Michelle. It cost me three wives before I found true happiness with my mother, daughter, and Kate."

"So you killed Brandon to protect your life with me. I wanted to know what happen to Ashley." Jeffery stated getting up and walking to the window and turning around in disgust. "She was 12 Michelle."

"You would have lost everything baby, and I didn't want that." Michelle told him. She looked at Russell. "Brandon threaten to send a final copy to his boss, and that stupid morality clause would have lost him everything."

"I would have found something else." Jeffery told her with anger.

Michelle started to cry. "I couldn't risk it. I would have lost everything."

"You already have." Russell replied getting up and opening the door and motioning in the officer.

A few minutes later the team was out in the bullpen packing up everything and doing the paperwork. Castle handed Russell photos off the board. "Murder to gain wealth. One of the oldest motives in the world."

"Yeah it is." Kate stated with a smile as she came out from her office. She looked at Rick. "Did you say that to get her to open up more, or was that the truth?"

"Both. I thought I never be happy again till I met you, and now look at me." Castle told her holding up her hand and placing one hand on her belly. "Here we are."

"That's nice you guys." Karpowski noted as he walked over and handed Kate his paperwork. "Thanks Captain Beckett for letting me help on this one."

"Glad we could close out Ashley's case for you Karpowski." Kate replied shaking his hand and handing over paperwork to him. "Already sent to your Captain and payroll."

Karpowski nodded and shook everyone's hand again before leaving. Russell sealed up the box and signed off on the sheet before handing it off to the officer who would take it to the courthouse. She looked at everyone. "Maria is throwing a celebration for her promotion. You are invited to come."

"Why not?" Kate replied with a smile on her face as she went to the office grabbing her stuff and shutting it down for the night. "Where at?"

Russell gathered up her stuff. "Someplace called the Old Haunt. A friend told her about it."

"That's my bar. Call her up and tell her I'll give her the best table in the place." Castle replied as they walked towards the elevator.

"It's his table he means." Ryan stated with a smirk as the doors opened.

"But no more alleys for the day though." Castle told them. Kate slapped him in the gut.


	8. Epilogue

**A/N: This wraps up this story. Working on the Christmas Story for this AU. There will a historical fiction story coming up though while I work on the Christmas Story for my AU. I hope you enjoyed this story and will enjoy the next ones. Thanks for the views and the reviews.**

 **Epilogue**

 **Kate and Rick's loft**

 **Soho, New York**

Kate walked from their bedroom and joined her husband on the couch as he read something on his iPad. She saw the glass of tea sitting on the table for her. She looked at her husband and smile. "Hey babe, have you ever thought about when the baby is born what we would do?"

Rick set the iPad down and sighed and looked at Kate. "I figured after you are off maternity leave, I would step back from my work at the precinct and work from home."

Kate looked at him with a little bit of shock on her face, that gave away to a broader smile. "No thought of a nanny?"

"No. Mother said she be willing to sit with him or her, same thing with Alexis." Rick stated as he slid closer to his wife. He took his hands in hers. "You don't have to worry, I am willing to get up to take the late night feedings and changings so you can keep some sleep too."

Kate shook her head. "Babe you don't have to all that."

"I want to Kate, because I did with Alexis and I want to do with our baby." Rick said to her. He looked at her with a little bit of concern. "What brought all this on?"

"I never thought about it before and now with this case I was curious." Kate told him as she stroked his hand with her fingers. "I always thought after the baby maybe I be the one taking the step back while you worked at the precinct."

Rick looked at her and wrapped his arm around her as she laid her head in his chest. "Well I thought I be the one taking time away, because I didn't want you to give up what you are. A great cop."

"Who is now more an administrator than an actual detective." Kate chuckled as she squeezed him. She felt comfortable as she stayed there. "I guess we have somethings to discuss about before the baby comes."

"I guess we do, like where do we put him when he gets a little older?" Rick stated with a chuckle as she sat up straight. "Or do you want him with us till he sleeps through the night?"

Kate kissed Rick on the lips and looked at him. "What the name would be? Who do we want as godparents, and to look after him or her if something happen to us?"

Rick took her hands and smiled. "But the one thing I want to know and if you want it to; Do you want to know the sex of our baby?"

Kate sighed and let go of his hands and got up and walked around the couch to the island. Rick got up and followed her worried. "Something I said?"

Kate shook her head and turned around to face him. "I mean I want to know, and at the same time I don't. Part of me wants the surprise. Does that seem wrong?"

"No, but at the same time I think we dealt with enough surprises in our lives, so part of me wants to know." Rick told her as again he took her hands in his. She wrapped her arms around him as he returned it. "How long do we have before we reach that point?"

"Around Christmas time is when they can tell at the earliest." Kate replied. She looked up and kissed him lightly on the lips. She took his hands and led him towards the bedroom. "I think maybe we can have go to bed to think on it."

Rick smiled as his wife led them. "I can go to sleep."

The door closed as they entered the bedroom.


End file.
